A scientific study has found that addiction to ultra-processed foods (UPFs) among both children and adults may be linked to strategies historically used by major tobacco companies.
The paper, published in Current Obesity Reports by researchers from Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania, examined recent advances in the science of food addiction.
The study estimates that about 14% of adults and 15% of youths worldwide meet the criteria for UPF addiction—rates comparable to dependence on legal but highly addictive substances such as alcohol (14%) and tobacco (18%). Researchers noted that the 15% prevalence among children and adolescents is particularly striking.
To assess addiction, the researchers used the Yale Food Addiction Scale, which adapts official diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders. Findings showed that individuals with UPF addiction exhibit signs of dependency, including withdrawal symptoms, unsuccessful attempts to cut back, and continued consumption despite negative health effects.
The study traced the roots of the modern obesity and food addiction crisis to the 1980s, when the consumption of ultra-processed foods surged. This period also coincided with major tobacco companies, including Philip Morris, acquiring large food corporations such as Kraft Foods and General Foods.
Citing previously released industry documents, the researchers found that tobacco executives applied similar engineering techniques used to enhance cigarette addiction to the development of ultra-processed foods.
“Released industry documents have revealed that the same tobacco industry leaders admitted to applying the techniques used to enhance the addictive properties of tobacco products to the development of UPFs … in order to maximize profits,” the study said.
“As such, the direct role of UPFs in driving the obesity epidemic may be at least partially explained by the tobacco industry’s involvement in designing UPFs to be highly reinforcing, using practices like those used for maximizing the addictive potential of tobacco products,” it added.
The study also highlighted significant health disparities, showing that UPF addiction disproportionately affects marginalized communities. In the United States, prevalence rates reached 32.3% among Hispanic individuals and 16.8% among Black individuals, compared with 11.7% among non-Hispanic White individuals.
Individuals experiencing food insecurity were found to have a 21% to 56% higher risk of meeting the criteria for food addiction, while those with lower household incomes were more likely to develop obesity if they also exhibited UPF addiction.
“These health disparities may be largely driven by two key factors,” the researchers said. “First, food industry documents have revealed that UPFs are disproportionately marketed to persons of color using exploitative techniques taken from the playbook of Big Tobacco.”
“Second, the accessibility and affordability of rewarding, calorie-dense UPFs … make them a highly enticing choice for individuals with limited time or financial resources, or those experiencing prolonged stress,” they added.
The review also found that repeated consumption of ultra-processed foods may alter the brain-gut-microbiome axis, triggering what researchers describe as dopaminergic sensitization—where the brain adapts to crave more of these foods.
While UPF addiction overlaps significantly with obesity—affecting 28% of adults and 19% of youths with obesity—the researchers stressed that the two are distinct conditions and should not be treated as the same.
The study concluded that there is a significant gap in medical research and treatment approaches targeting ultra-processed food addiction.
“There are abundant next steps in this line of research, though a particularly pressing gap in the literature is the lack of targeted interventions for UPF addiction,” the researchers said. “Developing and demonstrating the efficacy of novel, addiction-based treatments for UPF addiction may result in more optimal clinical outcomes for this underserved population.”
